MONROE - For Joe Huber, waiting is the hardest part.
In just over two months, the Monroe High School senior will be boarding a plane for a year in Germany. He doesn't know where or with whom he will live, or even where he will work.
That can be hard for a young man who says he "likes to know what's going on."
But Huber's willing to wait for the tradeoff: A year in a prestigious vocational internship program run as a joint effort of the United States Congress and the Bundestag, the German national parliament.
Huber, the son of Robert and Nancy Huber, is one of 25 students selected from American high schools each year for the full scholarship program, which is jointly funded by the two governments. He is the first MHS student ever selected for the program.
As part of the year, Huber will spend two months in Bonn in a German language program and then receive six weeks of job training. He will be sponsored by a German Bundestag member and hosted by a German family. He'll live with the family and work for the rest of year as an intern with a German company.
The program includes two visits to Berlin and all costs, including room and board. Huber is only responsible for paying transportation costs to and from Washington D.C., where a 3-day orientation is held prior to his July 2 departure for Germany, and an estimated $4,000 in spending money for the entire year.
Huber first planned to attend college next year and was accepted to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He eventually wants to be a game warden.
Those plans haven't changed, just postponed a year. Huber said he doesn't mind delaying college for a year for the opportunity the Bundestag program affords.
"It's just a year compared to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said.
To apply for the program, Huber completed a lengthy written application. There were many questions about homesickness and how the applicant would expect to relate to a host family, he said. He also wrote an essay, a letter to his yet unknown host family and provided letters of recommendations.
He passed the first round, and during spring break, traveled to Chicago to interview with two program representatives. Huber credits his four years experience in FFA, including two years as an officer, in helping him perform favorably on the interview.
According to program literature, organizers try to match students in a position related to their area of interest. Huber is hoping for an internship in something related to agriculture or natural resources, rather than being stuck in an office in town - but he's not counting on anything.
He even had to field a question about how he might react to a disappointing placement during his interview for the program. The interviewers asked Huber what he would do if his sponsor told him he'd be selling women's shoes for his internship.
"Maybe I'll be able to sell shoes to someone in Natural Resources" and be able to create a new internship, Huber responded.
They must have liked his attitude. He was told he would hear by April 16 if he was selected. Huber received the phone call April 2 with the news he was a finalist.
The young people selected for the Bundestag scholarship program serve as representatives of the United States, explained Karen Fowdy, German teacher at MHS.
Selecting Huber for the program was a "wise choice," she said, noting he's very humble and hard working. He works on the family farm, as well as milking cows on a farm in Winslow. In addition to playing football, he works lights at the school's Performing Arts Center.
When people need something done, they can count on Huber.
"He's the go-to guy," Fowdy said.
"They have to have seen that in him," Fowdy said of program officials.
It will be a busy two months for Huber. In May he will be attending the National Land Judging competition in Oklahoma with his MHS teammates. Graduation will come shortly after that. And Huber joked he thinks his dad is "probably thinking how much hay we can get made" before his oldest son jets off for a year.
A full schedule doesn't make the wait to find out what his German experience will bring any easier.
"I just can't wait," Huber said.
In just over two months, the Monroe High School senior will be boarding a plane for a year in Germany. He doesn't know where or with whom he will live, or even where he will work.
That can be hard for a young man who says he "likes to know what's going on."
But Huber's willing to wait for the tradeoff: A year in a prestigious vocational internship program run as a joint effort of the United States Congress and the Bundestag, the German national parliament.
Huber, the son of Robert and Nancy Huber, is one of 25 students selected from American high schools each year for the full scholarship program, which is jointly funded by the two governments. He is the first MHS student ever selected for the program.
As part of the year, Huber will spend two months in Bonn in a German language program and then receive six weeks of job training. He will be sponsored by a German Bundestag member and hosted by a German family. He'll live with the family and work for the rest of year as an intern with a German company.
The program includes two visits to Berlin and all costs, including room and board. Huber is only responsible for paying transportation costs to and from Washington D.C., where a 3-day orientation is held prior to his July 2 departure for Germany, and an estimated $4,000 in spending money for the entire year.
Huber first planned to attend college next year and was accepted to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He eventually wants to be a game warden.
Those plans haven't changed, just postponed a year. Huber said he doesn't mind delaying college for a year for the opportunity the Bundestag program affords.
"It's just a year compared to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said.
To apply for the program, Huber completed a lengthy written application. There were many questions about homesickness and how the applicant would expect to relate to a host family, he said. He also wrote an essay, a letter to his yet unknown host family and provided letters of recommendations.
He passed the first round, and during spring break, traveled to Chicago to interview with two program representatives. Huber credits his four years experience in FFA, including two years as an officer, in helping him perform favorably on the interview.
According to program literature, organizers try to match students in a position related to their area of interest. Huber is hoping for an internship in something related to agriculture or natural resources, rather than being stuck in an office in town - but he's not counting on anything.
He even had to field a question about how he might react to a disappointing placement during his interview for the program. The interviewers asked Huber what he would do if his sponsor told him he'd be selling women's shoes for his internship.
"Maybe I'll be able to sell shoes to someone in Natural Resources" and be able to create a new internship, Huber responded.
They must have liked his attitude. He was told he would hear by April 16 if he was selected. Huber received the phone call April 2 with the news he was a finalist.
The young people selected for the Bundestag scholarship program serve as representatives of the United States, explained Karen Fowdy, German teacher at MHS.
Selecting Huber for the program was a "wise choice," she said, noting he's very humble and hard working. He works on the family farm, as well as milking cows on a farm in Winslow. In addition to playing football, he works lights at the school's Performing Arts Center.
When people need something done, they can count on Huber.
"He's the go-to guy," Fowdy said.
"They have to have seen that in him," Fowdy said of program officials.
It will be a busy two months for Huber. In May he will be attending the National Land Judging competition in Oklahoma with his MHS teammates. Graduation will come shortly after that. And Huber joked he thinks his dad is "probably thinking how much hay we can get made" before his oldest son jets off for a year.
A full schedule doesn't make the wait to find out what his German experience will bring any easier.
"I just can't wait," Huber said.